Matthew 6:34 is “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Anxiety is a warning signal or a helpful messenger that alerts us about danger. The ‘fight-or-flight response’, also known as the acute stress response, refers to the physiological reaction to threat. Hence anxiety is a biological and psychological reaction that must be understood and managed. The Lord has in His incredible wisdom created us as responsive beings but He did not design us to react in anxiety and fear.
Jesus gave us a very simple command which is the toughest precept to obey – “do not worry about tomorrow”. He did not say do not plan, He only said don’t panic. Dr. Caroline Leaf in her several books on mind-body connection says that “thoughts grow like trees”. Good, happy and healthy thoughts grow green, flourishing and blooming branches. Bad, fearful and harmful thoughts grow puny, diseased and toxic branches in the mind. We are not designed to worry but to worship. “Research shows that 75 to 98 percent of mental, physical, and behavioral illness comes from one’s thought life.”— Dr. Caroline Leaf.
Worry is the poisonous scum that causes self-harm not only to the mind but also to the body. Excessive stress is the major cause of hypertension, heart disease and hormonal changes. It can also lead to stroke, eating disorders and diabetes. Hence Jesus said, don’t worry about tomorrow! We are not designed to worry.
Happy thoughts grow healthy branches and pleasant emotions are the nutrients for green and lush foliage in our mind.
Cultivating prolific thought trees:
1. Trepidatious: We have the ability to make the right choices on what we think and meditate. These choices affect the chemicals, proteins and the wiring of our brain. Fearful and trepidatious thoughts grow ugly and unhealthy branches but positive thoughts grow prolific branches in our brain. “Our brain does not control us; we control our brain through our thinking and choosing” – Dr. Caroline Leaf. Hence, our thought processes can cause our ‘thought tree’ to become either tonic or toxic. Choose to meditate on God’s promises and not on your problems.
2. Tenacious: Tenacity that comes from trust is a vigorous mindset that releases the feel-better chemical, oxytocin, into the body. Tenacious thoughts are energy to our mind and bodies that will change our environment and make troubles disappear into the ether. Trust is the road on which tenacity runs. Feeding on faith builds trust that nourishes our thought tree with tenacity.
3. Therapeutic: Build thoughts that are therapeutic and not troubling. When deceptive demons hammer us with defeat, we must turn to our testimonies. When the devil whispers that God has abandoned you, testify “He will never leave me nor forsake me”. Testifying aloud and declaring His might and power is therapeutic to a troubled mind. Troubled thoughts will be replaced with triumphant thoughts with our own testimonies.
“Be a warrior not a worrier”
Psalm 136:23 He remembered us in our low estate His love endures forever.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to defeat trepidatious and toxic thoughts with tenacious and therapeutic ones to grow healthy thought trees. Amen.
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